New York City – If Bloomberg Can Do It, Why Not Bush-Cheney?

New York City – The tricks Mayor Michael Bloomberg pulled to get a third term, if applied nationally, might see President George W. Bush extending his stay in the White House for four more years.

By declaring themselves indispensable in these troubled times, Bush and Dick Cheney, as Bloomberg, could possibly circumvent law as well as the will of the people. These twin pillars of democracy were all but collapsed in New York City Thursday. It doesn’t help that the Big Apple also spearheaded the collapse of the economies of world capitalism.

Adding to the rubble, Mayor Bloomberg has trashed the law that dared limit his term to eight years. In 1993, and again in 1996, voters installed this protection against the abuse of incumbency power by greedy officials grown comfortable in office.

Ensconced in his private East Side mansion, Bloomberg reportedly threw off signs of staying put in office months before the Wall Street collapse. Yet, he seized upon this economic crisis three weeks ago, linking his stewardship to the city’s recovery. New Yorkers might ponder why their financial wizard, once fired from Salomon Brothers, did not warn them about the meltdown and spare them the grief?

Instead, the city’s economy teeters under Bloomberg’s watch – while his personal fortunes have skyrocketed. His name blazes atop a gleaming, glass skyscraper testifying to the “Bloomberg L.P.” empire expanded during his administration and run by his former deputy mayor, Daniel Doctoroff.

Early in his term, Bloomberg, with a fortune estimated at $4.9 billion, was ranked 36th on Forbes’ 2003 list of billionaires. Growing steadily since, Hizzoner’s fortune, the magazine said, jumped to $11.5 billion in 2007 and placed him in the 25th slot. This year, he leaped to the eighth spot with a fortune Forbes estimated at some $20 billion.

Rivals may quibble about a Bloomberg billion here or there, but being mayor for eight years has been very, very profitable for his personal wealth. The city has not done nearly as well, though it recovered from the economic chaos inherited from the Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who also was term-limited.

When the terrorists struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, however, Mayor Giuliani attempted to extend his final term, declaring himself indispensable to the City on matters of public safety. As a GOP candidate, Bloomberg argued against the sitting mayor overriding term limits, thank you very much. New York has survived the self-declared Great One on security matters and would likely thrive again without the self-declared Great One on financial matters.

These questions remain: (a) Would Bloomberg have pushed to extend his term had his personal fortune shrunk by 90 percent instead of expanded 400 percent? (b) What about national office? (c) Has the mayor simply run out of other political options acceptable to him?

Last year, observers buzzed that Bloomberg was gearing up to run for U.S. president. He dropped the requisite weight, slammed partisan gridlock in Washington, and even discarded party affiliation to become an independent. Insiders floated that Hizzoner would run for president if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton got the Democratic nomination. Her decline reportedly stayed his hand, though he kept the weight off for a vice-presidential nomination that never came.

The next logical step for a city mayor who doesn’t have $20 billion might be governor. However, with Giuliani circling toward an Albany race, winters up North likely have chilled all gubernatorial ambitions. Besides, the political tycoon is snug in his mansion blocks away from his gleaming “Bloomberg” skyscraper.

Why inconvenience such a popular lord of the manor with the trifle of term limits? Some 82 percent of New Yorkers want voters to decide on such an extension – not the mayor and City Council members who all stand to benefit. Yet, last week, Mayor Bloomberg and the rubber-stamp council passed a law-changing bill that would allow city officials to serve three terms. Opponents promise a court battle and final approval must be granted by the U.S. Justice Department.

Herein lies an opportunity for Bush and Cheney, who, like Mayor Bloomberg, appear to have run out of political options. As the mayor tramples the law and the will of the people, what’s to keep Bush-Cheney from doing likewise? There’s plenty of time before Nov. 4. Stay tuned.